But, here’s the skinny. During a council meeting on Wednesday, Mayor Ford was the sole person to vote against naming a street after Nelson Mandela. Governments like stuff like this. It looks nice, but it doesn’t really cost anything. (In New York, there’s a bench in a park named after Dr. Feelgood singer Lee Brilleaux, but that might be the result of a donation) In addition, Mandela is still wildly popular. Safer too now that he’s dead, so it seemed like a no-brainer.

Well, Ford, who has made a career of being the contrarian, voted no. And curiously also against sending a greeting to Canada’s Olympic athletes. Several theories have been put forward: Ford wasn’t paying attention; Ford simply votes to piss people off; Ford really believed he was right, but later buckled.

Thirty minutes after the vote became public, Ford claimed he had made a mistake and wanted to change his vote. In the press scrum, he claimed it was immediately, but when corrected stormed off in a huff.

Leave it to brother Doug Ford to make the case: He argued, “No one in this city supports the black community more than Rob Ford. No one. Bottom line. Zing. Done. And no one supports the Olympic athletes more than Rob Ford.” Well, I know he’s a supporter of some young black entrepreneurs (I believe there’s a video to mark the occasion), but that might be a matter for the courtsm, so I’ll say no further.

In the end, Toronto City Council after initially denying the opportunity, gave Ford the chance to change his vote. Rob, Rob, have the courage of your convictions. Just like Rob Anders who famously voted not to give Mandela honourary Canadian citizenship because he was a “communist” and a “terrorist.” Years later Anders was unrepentant. And still regarded as a dick, but you can’t have everything.

The sad thing is that Ford’s antics will actually convince people that it will make a difference if they choose a different Mayor. True, the next one won’t be such a comic buffoon-de-force, but the business of the city will largely remain the same.